1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a lift wall provided with a lifting mechanism and comprising two wall cloths made of elastic material for suspension by their upper edges from the ceiling with substantially constant spacing; a lower edge means to which the lower edges of both wall cloths have been affixed; a lifting means provided with a power means and at least two rope-like lifting members affixed to the lower edge means for lifting and lowering the wall with the aid of the lifting means driven by the power means, and supported by the lifting members.
Lift walls such as described above are used for the purpose of subdividing a hall, an assembly area, and other similar spaces for use on different occasions. Lift walls are advantageous for multi-purpose premises in view of rational use of space, for solving space problems and for reducing the excessively high building costs arising from fixed walls and eliminating unpractical room arrangement solutions.
For a lift wall to be usable towards meeting the requirements stated above, there are imposed strict requirements. The lift wall must be easy to mount, and mounting on any kind of ceiling should be feasible. The lift wall should be rapidly liftable and lowerable. The lift wall should be reliable in operation and easy to servicee and maintain. The lift wall should be sound-deadening and have a high structural strength so that it also tolerates mechanical stresses acting laterally on the wall. Moreover the wall should be reasonably priced as to its costs. Furthermore, the lift wall should use up little space when lifted to the ceiling, and it should be aesthetically acceptable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lift walls of the prior art fail to meet these requirements. The lift walls of the prior art are usually based on a lifting means disposed separate from the wall, for instance above the ceiling or in another room in a special motor space, and connected to operate the wall with the aid of wires. The installation of such lift walls of the prior art is exccedingly awkward; their installation in a completed building is usually not feasible afterwards other than with major alterations; the correct running of the wires and their operation is unreliable, the lifting means (e.g. one mounted on top of the ceiling) is difficult to service; moreover, such lift walls of prior art require extra space for their power means and lifting members. Furthermore, lift walls of the prior art are unsatisfactory as regards their mechanical strength. Furthermore, the initial price of lift walls of the prior art is high, owing to the lifting means and lifting members which have to be installed separately, in separate accommodation space. All considered, lift walls of the prior art are unsatisfactory in properties, price and appearance. In addition, lift walls of the prior art when lifted up are space-consuming and aesthetically unsatisfactory as the covering fabrics belonging thereto hang down in a disfiguring manner when the wall is in the lifted-up position.